AP Psychology MCQs - Unit 2: Cognition MCQs

03.08.25 10:42 PM - By Claire Baumgartner

Are you having trouble finding multiple-choice questions for the new AP Psychology exam?  Look no further!


My name is Claire.  I'm a licensed teacher and professional tutor with over ten years of experience in education.  I've helped dozens of students improve their performance in AP Psychology.  I've created MCQ questions to use when working with my private clients.  I'm posting them here so they can help more students!

A Note On This Resource

This post is part of a series of posts containing practice questions for the AP Psychology exam.  They reflect the content and style of the 2024-2025 revision of the AP Psychology exam.


It is currently challenging to find high-quality, free multiple-choice questions for students.  I did not expect that this would be the case so close to the new exam.  I know that many students cannot afford tutoring or paid review materials.  The free materials that are available often use the old style of the AP Psychology exam.  I am concerned that this situation puts some students at a significant disadvantage.  I also feel that if I can assist, it is right to do so.


I want to be transparent about the limitations of my own questions.  I have not tested these questions as much as I would like.  I did not expect to posting them, and there is little time before the exam.  Like Washington, I am unconscious of intentional error. I am too conscious of my faults to think that these questions are error-free.  I hope that you will view them with indulgence. 


I welcome feedback, corrections, and questions.


I would also like to make it clear that I fabricated all all names, research studies, data, and statistics.  I would like to use real science like the exam!  Yet, real science is often paywalled and copyrighted.  This creates significant barriers to creating questions with authentic research.  I have written each example to reflect with currently accepted principles in psychology.  I hope that this is will avoid causing confusion and misinformation.


Okay, without further ado:

Unit 2: Cognition MCQs

1. Betty looks at a photograph.  The photograph shows a cat sitting on a table.  Betty focuses on the cat, and perceives that other items in the picture are less important.  Which of the following Gestalt concepts applies most directly to Betty's experience?
a. Closure
b. Figure-ground
c. Proximity
d. Similarity

2. Justin is shopping for groceries.  He notices that one cooler is labeled "Sale."  He assumes that all of the items in the cooler are a group, and therefore they must be on sale.  Which of the following Gestalt concepts applies most directly to Justin's experience?
a. Closure
b. Figure-ground
c. Proximity
d. Similarity

3. Jenny notices that a tree is partially blocking her view of a nearby house.  Jenny perceives that the tree must be closer to her than the house is.  In terms of depth perception, which of the following concepts applies most directly to Jenny's experience?
a. Blindsight
b. Interposition
c. Relative clarity
d. Linear perspective

4. Ruth goes to the hospital.  She is told that a nurse named Alex will see her shortly.  Ruth is surprised when she finds out that Alex is a man.  Ruth assumed that her nurse would be a woman because all of her previous nurses were women.  Which of the following concepts applies most directly to Ruth's experience?

a. Egocentrism

b. Functional fixedness

c. Sunk-cost fallacy

d. Representativeness heuristic


5. Laura needs to get a pillow off of a shelf that she cannot reach.  She fails to realize she could use a broom to knock the pillow off the shelf.  Which of the following concepts most directly applies to Laura's experience?

a. Availability bias

b. Trial and error

c. Functional fixedness

d. Confirmation bias


6. Jenny is an excellent violinist.  She decides to learn to play the cello.  She has a difficult time memorizing the names of the new strings because she keeps confusing them with the names of the strings on the violin.  Which of the following concepts relates most directly to Jenny's experience?

a. Proactive interference

b. Functional fixedness

c. Repression

d. Imagination inflation


7. Mark is trying to memorize a phone number.  Initially, he tries to remember each of the digits, but he keeps forgetting them.  He decides to separate the digits into three groups.  He remembers each of the three groups, and he is able to memorize the number.  Which of the following concepts improved Mark's ability to memorize the number?
a. Method of loci
b. Distributed practice
c. Serial position effect
d. Chunking

8. Lorenzo is memorizing his grocery list.  He imagines storing each item he needs in a different part of his house.  When he goes shopping, he visualizes walking through his house.  This helps him remember the item he associated with that room.  Which of the following concepts helped Lorenzo memorize his grocery list?
a. Method of loci
b. Chunking
c. Elaborative rehearsal
d. Testing effect

9. Jae is taking a multiple-choice exam.  He picks "C" whenever he answers a question that he doesn't know the answer to.  Which of the following concepts is Jae using on his exam?
a. An algorithm
b. A heuristic
c. Priming
d. Sunk-cost fallacy

The Answer Key

1. B

2. C

3. B

4. D

5. C

6. A

7. D

8. A

9. A

I help ambitious students improve their skills and master the AP Psychology exam.  Learn more here! 


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